Chapter 2

Xue Mu woke up in a daze, his eyes still struggling to open. He could feel that he was lying on a soft couch, with a fragrant scent lingering at his nose, and the sound of wheels rolling on a mountain road accompanied by occasional bumps.

It seemed he was in a carriage...

A clear and pleasant female voice said, "Master, have some tea, don't overwork yourself."

Xue Mu's professional sensitivity immediately noted that the voice was ethereal and clear, with great potential. Even if she couldn't sing, she would make an excellent voice actress. Speaking of which, which dynasty was this? They were speaking Mandarin, but it seemed to have a soft and comfortable accent from somewhere.

Another female voice sounded, "Thanks to that fool Feng Liexiang, our foundation in the south has been destroyed by eighty percent. Now, forget about grand plans; if we don't find a way soon, our sect will be left with nothing. Your junior master is still trapped in the Six Fans waiting to be rescued, which will also require a lot of money. How can you be so at ease, Master?"

This voice was also good, with an indescribable charm that made him feel a bit tingly...

Xue Mu finally managed to open his eyes and turned his head slightly. A young woman was sitting cross-legged beside him, her hair loosely tied, her eyes like autumn water. She held a book in her hands, and the side of her face, veiled by a light gauze, made Xue Mu draw a deep breath.

This woman is very beautiful... Before falling into the water, he saw someone bathing. Were they the two of them? What a pity, they both seemed to be naked at the time, but he couldn't see clearly at all!

A young girl in white was angrily waving her small fists, "The next time I see Feng Liexiang, I'll cut off his thing and send him to be a prostitute!"

"It's not the time to seek revenge... If you have this energy, you might as well help me with the accounts."

The girl's fists stopped in mid-air, "Uh, uh, what accounts?"

"The Baihua Garden in the capital lost 1,320 taels last month, the Yan Zhi Workshop in Lingzhou lost 415 taels, and the Xun Fang Hall in Wuzhou made a profit of 74 taels... How much did we lose in total last month?"

"..." The girl slowly backed away, her eyes darting around, and her awkward appearance made Xue Mu want to laugh.

"You think just practicing martial arts can support a sect? You'll have to take on these responsibilities sooner or later. What's the point of running?"

"Um... Ha ha... Right, Master, I just remembered I haven't done my morning practice yet. I'll go practice..."

"Stop! Go get the counting rods for me first!"

Xue Mu finally spoke, "No need for the counting rods. The total loss is 1,661 taels."

The girl looked at Xue Mu curiously, her big eyes blinking, and smiled, "Blowing your own horn as soon as you wake up, that's not good. Just wait!" She seemed reluctant to get the counting rods, but Xue Mu's direct answer piqued her curiosity, and she ran out with a thump.

Xue Mu still felt pain all over his body, and he struggled to sit up, bowing slightly to the young woman, "Thank you, Madam, for saving..."

Before he could finish his thanks, the young woman turned her head sharply. The gentle and melancholy look in her eyes vanished instantly, turning sharp and icy, her eyes radiating a powerful light.

Xue Mu felt a tremendous power in her gaze, his blood and qi becoming chaotic, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, feeling shocked.

What is this? Killing with a glance? Is it really that exaggerated?

The light in the young woman's eyes dimmed, and she frowned, muttering to herself, "No cultivation at all? How is that possible?"

Seeing Xue Mu's blood and qi in turmoil, unable to speak, she pondered for a moment and said coolly, "Who are you? Why did you appear in mid-air? What about the strange poison in your body?"

Xue Mu was taken aback, "What strange poison?"

"You have over a thousand types of toxins in your body, and you carry a contagious source of plague. You are a walking plague. Speak, who are you, and what is your purpose?"

Xue Mu was speechless for a long time, muttering, "A walking periodic table of elements?"

Carrying various epidemic viruses, many of which are even mutated, which didn't exist in ancient times. Plus, a body grown on gutter oil, toxic milk powder, and various additives... Someone once said that a modern person, when flattened, would be a complete periodic table of chemical elements. In ancient times, he was a mobile source of plague, and it was really true?

He had no idea how to explain this, scratching his head for a long time, and finally asked, "Madam, can you solve my problem?"

The young woman almost laughed, "You're not very polite."

Xue Mu said, "Madam, are you trying to find a way to create such a plague person?"

The young woman's smile faded, and her eyes glinted with cold light, "You are very smart."

Xue Mu thought to himself that this master and disciple were definitely not good people, shaking his head, "Madam, you will be disappointed. My condition is unique, and you cannot replicate it."

The young woman said lazily, "Since you won't talk, you can die."

As she raised her hand to strike, Xue Mu shouted, "Just with me, I can already help Madam create a plague!"

The young woman's beautiful eyes flickered, and she pondered for a moment, slowly lowering her hand, seemingly considering how to use this plague person.

At that moment, the girl Chan'er rushed in, "Master, the counting rods are here."

Xue Mu was drenched in cold sweat, truly on the brink of life and death. This woman was definitely a ruthless killer, actually considering using a biological plague. She had clearly saved him only because his toxins piqued her curiosity and might be useful, not out of kindness. If she felt he was useless, he would die without knowing how.

Xue Mu, being a managerial-level person, couldn't possibly be willing to let his life be controlled by someone else, to be used as a plague tool by a woman. Taking advantage of the master and disciple not paying attention to him, he secretly sought a way to take control.

His gaze fell on the counting rods. This seemed like a feasible starting point? Looking at those strange wooden pieces, he couldn't help but feel helpless. Such simple addition and subtraction, not knowing mental arithmetic was already stupid, and even if they needed a tool, why not use an abacus? What was the point of using counting rods? These women seemed to have high martial prowess but poor cultural knowledge...

Speaking of which, whether this was a martial arts world or a fantasy world, it was clearly a world of power, where martial arts were revered. As a modern person, why should he compete in martial arts, endlessly practicing and leveling up, abandoning his strengths to match his weaknesses against the natives' strengths? Why bother...

From their concern with profit and loss, it was clear they needed food, clothing, shelter, and sect development, not being ascetic immortals or solely focused on longevity. In such a society, modern people still had a lot of room to maneuver...

Just as he was thinking, the girl Chan'er suddenly exclaimed, "It really is 1,661 taels!!"

The young woman's eyes also showed some surprise, and she turned to look at Xue Mu, her expression now more respectful, no longer treating him like an ant. Xue Mu met her gaze calmly and smiled, "If developing the sect is more important to Madam than creating a plague, perhaps I can be of more use than Madam imagines."